


Gold and Pearls

by Mother_of_Pearl



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Alternative Sexuality, Drama, Fantasy, Fluff, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, Yaoi, akihito takaba - Freeform, alternative universe, asami ryuichi - Freeform, cried over my own FF, lots of love, merman, the world needs more mermen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-02-16 05:16:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13047261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mother_of_Pearl/pseuds/Mother_of_Pearl
Summary: >>This FF takes place in our universe except the fact that mythical creatures aren't only pure fantasy.<<Wet noises were coming from there, a mixture of growls and most likely human whimpers occasionally occurred.Through the light of the weak lamps of the hallway that shone into the room, a silhouette became visible. A young man lying on the ground, pathetically squirming on the floor.Asamis golden eyes fixated on the creature became wide as they followed the body down from the head to the hips were the legs were supposed to be..."Boss, it seems to be a... merman."





	1. J&B Auctions

**Author's Note:**

> I got the feeling the world is in need of more fantasy finder ff's. And I love mermans.  
> So I hope you enjoy this unusual ff! <3

The rain was falling heavily as the suspicious looking men entered the dimly lit and empty entrance hall of the big hotel.   
Drops on the expensive stone floor left traces of the raging storm outside. An old waiter came upon the men to receive the wet coats that were given to him.  
The leader of the group was a tall, black haired business man, his golden pupils were shining through the darkness.  
With secure steps he crossed the hall and walked straight to the ancient looking doorway that led to the auction rooms, his men following him silently.   
The old waiter came to open the doors and with a scheming smile he welcomed him to the J&B Auctions event.

The men passed the doors and a younger and more firmly dressed waiter already awaited them in the new room.

"Welcome, Sir. May I see your invitation?"

Without a word the leader of the group showed the waiter his high quality business card. As the man's eyes caught a look on the name that was written on it, he immediately put a warm smile on his dark shadowed face.

"Welcome Asami-sama. What an honor to have you here." He started his speech. "This is J&B Auctions. Here you will find whatever your heart might desire. Exquisite whiskey from Scotland. First class luxury goods from every brand. The newest and rarest cars from Europe and much more. Of course this is not a cheap auction, so I suppose you are willing and able to pay?"

"I am."  
With a wave of his hand 10.000¥ were given to the waiter.  
"I admit I appreciate J&B's whiskeys, though for now I am more interested in those goods that aren't on the list."

The waiter smiled at him and a dark expression mixed in it.

"Of course. I'll show you the way."

The steps of the men echoed from the walls as they followed the younger waiter down the hallways to ominous rooms.

"There you go, Sir. Here you can find the 'special goods' our auctions offer. Weapons, medicines, humans, and non-human specialities. If you excuse me, I will take my leave for now."

Asami Ryuichi waited until no one except his men were standing beside him.

"Suoh, take the men and find our stolen drugs. We are not making any captives. Don't leave any witnesses. Kirishima, come with me. Time to greet the owner personally."

-

The air smelled like gunpowder and the floor was sticky with still warm blood.  
Carefully Asami put his gun with the silencer back into the holster that was hidden beneath his three pieced suit.  
"What a mess. Kirishima, call the men, get our goods and then we will leave this place."

"What about the corpses, Sir?"

"Leave them. I will order someone else to clean everything up."

Just as the yakuza boss turned around to leave the damaged office, Suoh ran in, panting hard and with a stressed look in his eyes.

"Boss! Please accompany me over to the big auction room. We found our belongings there and something else. This needs your attention."

Asami raised an eyebrow, but knowing that Suoh would never bother him reasonless, he turned around to follow his subordinate.  
Suoh led him to a big, luxury room. The door has been rudely opened and due to a not visible reason there were puddles of water on the floor. The more the men entered the big room the more water was on the ground. There shoes were wet as they stopped in the middle.

"Suoh what did you bring me here for? And where does all the water come from?" Asami asked annoyed.

"There it is boss. Over there in the corner of the room. We found it. As we got our goods back we had to use weapons and we suppose one of the bullets hit the basin and destroyed it. Please be careful when walking over there. It is bleeding because of the broken glass and that got him even wilder..." Suoh explained with his dark voice.

The men that originally accompanied Suoh had already left the scenery, only Asami himself and his two bodyguards were still in the room. And it.

"What exactly is 'it'?"  
Asami asked, curiosity was audible in his normally quiet voice, as he carefully walked towards the destroyed basin.  
Wet noises were coming from there, a mixture of growls and most likely human whimpers occasionally occurred.  
Through the light of the weak lamps of the hallway that shone into the room, a silhouette became visible. A young man lying on the ground, pathetically squirming on the floor.

Asamis golden eyes fixated on the creature became wide as they followed the body down from the head to the hips were the legs were supposed to be...

"Boss, it seems to be a... merman."


	2. What mermen eat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fish in the pool. An afternoon coffee. And a defeated Kirishima.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all your loving comments on the first chapter! I never thought that this unusual FF would be liked.  
> Btw.: My imagination of a merman is little bit different from those mermaids and mermans the most would picture. They are darker and not as harmless as one knows from Ariel and such, and they own more magical powers than those.  
> Hope you still have fun reading it! I will try my best not to leave you waiting for too long.  
> Please excuse occurring mistakes, english is not my mother language!

Asami's golden eyes stayed focused on the mythical creature in front on his feet. The pitiful half-human and half-fish creature squirming on the ground was bleeding heavily. The mother of pearl coloured blood that mixed up with the water of the destroyed basin shone like pearls in the sun.

“What are we going to do with it, Sir?” Suoh broke their silence after a few heartbeats had passed.

“It will die eventually. Leave it.” Asami said coldly, freed his gaze from the creature and turned around, ready to leave the room and the merman behind.

“But, Sir!” Kirishima interrupted his boss' leave. “We can't leave it here! It will die if we go now.”

“So what?” Asami answered cold.

Kirishima swallowed. He had never contradicted his boss' decisions.  
“Sir, my late uncle studied those creatures. They are even more rare than any gemstone and killing them is a crime, they are protected living beings. Even my uncle has never seen one, though he lived for their protection.”

Asami took a deep breath, frowned and turned around to look at the dying creature once more. If that thing would bring him money, then why not.

“Alright. Take him back to my penthouse in the 6th street. There is a pool inside. That must be enough.” Asami declared. “And, Kirishima! You will be responsible for the recovery of that… fish. I will go and find that waiter from before. I don't like witnesses.  
Also get the men to search through the other rooms. If there are more of those creatures, get them together and take them along. They might bring some money.”

With those words spoken the yakuza boss left the scenery and Kirishima and Suoh carefully put a blanket they found in the neighboring room over it, lifted up the scaly body of the weakened creature that had stopped to move and carried it back through the rain to the cars to take it with them to the condo.  
On the way to their destination the merman fell into unconsciousness due to his wounds.

-

Kirishima spent the next two days at Asami's condo, trying his best to take care of the wounds that would always re-open due to the defensive movements of the merman. The problem was, that the creature was shy and it was obvious it distrusted Kirishima. At last he gave up to come near the merman, afraid he would hurt him more than he could help.

A few days after the incidents at the auctions house, Kirishima paid his respects to his boss.

\- 

“Sir, I am thankful you decided to rescue this living being. I'm sorry but I have to admit defeat. The merman won't let me touch him to take care of him. Instead I got myself some wounds when it attacked me.”

Asami sighed.  
“Then its wounds have to heal by themselves. Now what should I do with this… fish, that is swimming in the pool in my condo?”

Kirishima looked up.  
“Sir, I would recommend to take care of it a little longer. My uncle taught me some things about those creatures.” He continued. “Spent time with it. They are fast learners. If you take your time it might also learn the human language. They are also able to survive outside of the water for about 4-5 hours. But I also have to warn you, they are also known for their deceitfulness. If you are careless it might attack you and drown you if it doesn't trust you. Nevertheless, it is a siren, that are rumored to kill the complete crew of a ship.”

“That thing is a siren?” Asami asked, now looking up from the documents on his office table. “I thought sirens were female, but you say that our guest is a male.”

“No and yes.” Kirishima answered. “The merman you own is still very young. They are born without a gender. If a merman or a mermaid comes to meet its destined partner it is able to change its gender to the preferred gender of its partner. That means if a younger mermaid meets an older merman that prefers a male partner, the younger one will change its gender and become a merman for the rest of its life. Imagine it like a second birth. Though, those creatures are not able to reproduce if it's a pairing of the same gender, still their nature doesn't forbid same sex connections. That's one of the reasons why they are an endangered species. Still, if a sea creature meets its destined partner it will stay faithful to it until it dies.” 

Asami kneaded his temple. Too much weird information at once.  
After a few heartbeats he stood up from behind his desk and put on his jacket.

“Where are you going, Sir?”

“To that fish, just as you recommended. Take over the schedule for me for now, Kirishima. I will come back later around 8p.m., it's already late afternoon.”

Asami left his office and a warm smile appeared at his subordinates masculine face. Even though his boss might look scary, he had a good heart.

-

With a silent click the doors of the modern condo were closed and the yakuza boss entered his home, that welcomed him with its usual silence as he lived there alone. Usually at least.  
He put off his jacket, rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and went to the kitchen. With a few movements of his big hands he made himself a steaming coffee. The last days he had been busy with cleaning up the incident at the auctions house, nevertheless he had been researching a bit about the sea creatures he had never heard about before.

He leaned on the kitchen table, took a small sip of his hot black coffee and sighed. What should he do with that fish in his pool. Kirishima said it was still not completely recovered and Asami didn't look at it ever since they rescued it from the auctions house. He wanted to get rid of this thing as soon as it was healthy enough to be transported. But for now, his curiosity took over and the black haired man decided to risk a glimpse.

With slow steps he went to the bathroom. The big rectangular construction was 5m to 3m and had a side height from 1,20m. The depth was about almost 2,50m.  
Asami sipped from his coffee once more as he stood in front of the edge and while leaning with his elbows on it, he looked down into the clear blue fluid. Kirishima was thoughtful enough to change the water so there was no chlorine in it. The evening sun danced on the surface, creating sparkles and through the light, Asami was able to catch a glimpse of the curled up merman that was sleeping soundly on the tiled bottom of the basin.

The minutes passed and the two living beings just shared the same room together, not taking notice of each other.  
As Asami finished his coffee, suddenly a question appeared in his head. What does a merman eat? Or do they even need to consume food? He had never thought about that and Kirishima didn't say anything regarding this matter.  
Spontaneously he went to the kitchen and came back with some apples, a banana and a sandwich. He had no clue if that would do the trick, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.  
Hm, a pudding would be nice, he thought. So he went back to the kitchen and placed the pudding right beside the apples on the edge of the pool.

The minutes passed but nothing happened. A little bit disappointed Asami returned to the kitchen once more to get himself a new cup of coffee. When he returned to the bathroom he noticed, there was an apple missing. A small grin appeared on his face and the look in his normally sharp golden eyes became a bit more gentler than usual. So he got himself a chair and a business magazine and spent his afternoon break sitting beside the pool, waiting for the evening to come and from time to time, he caught a glimpse of a wet hand that shyly reached out to get an apple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok since I got some negaitve critique why I wrote for Asami to "let it just die" here's a short explanation since I want you to understand my decision.  
> Asami had no knowledge of the value of those creatures, not even knowing they existed in the first place until Kirishima told him.  
> Furthermore his first decision and this situation will become important for the story. That may be a spoiler now, but I want you to understand.
> 
> With this said, I hope you will understand and enjoy reading this FF nevertheless. <3


	3. First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scales, coffee and Asami, who isn't capable to properly undress himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, hooray! :D  
> The last few days I was sick at home, unable to go to work or make any progress on my new cosplay, so I used my clear minded moments to continue the merman story.  
> I hope you enjoy the following text! (I admit I couldn't resist to make a bit fun of Asami, sorry) <3
> 
> As usual, please excuse occurring mistakes. English is not my mother language. ^^

As usual the afternoon sunlight was dancing on the surface of the water. Asami was sitting in his chair, reading his business reports and sipping his freshly brewed coffee.  
Three days had passed and now it has almost become his daily routine to spent his 1h afternoon break sitting beside the pool and drinking fresh coffee.  
His part-time "pet" was observing every movement he made, impatiently waiting for him to get some apples or a piece of watermelon or at least a cucumber. Asami found out rather quickly that the merman preferred raw fruits and vegetables over pudding and sandwiches.

As he finished his cup he put down his magazine on the edge of the pool and left the bathroom to get some figs and a fresh coffee. Yesterday he noticed the genderless boy swam up to the surface as soon as he left the room, to stare down his magazine. One couldn't really call that reading as he was not sure if that creature even understood any human language.

The coffee machine was bubbling and his thoughts went back to his office. An antique and rarity dealer from South Korea, who apparently had an eye for mythical creatures, their natural habitats and how to sell them, so the government wouldn't take notice of the divestiture, contacted him yesterday and showed interest to purchase the boy.  
“News spread fast, huh...” Asami whispered into the room.

Before he would pay him his respects, he had Suoh to investigate the background of that man within the next two days. After all the wounds of the merman were almost completely healed so it was time to get some money out of that fish that occupied his bathroom. He avoided to use the big bathroom for his personal use as long as the merman inhabited it, and used the smaller one instead.

Asami sighed.  
The cleaning up after the mess at the auctions house was almost finished as well, the only thing that was left to do, was to find out who even brought the merman there. The original owner hid himself very good, Asami hated to admit.  
Still, the boys recovery went well, it was faster than any humans. Anyone else would be still lying at the hospital.

The beeping sound of the coffee machine brought him back to his kitchen. The way too hot fluid was steaming in his cup. Carefully he walked it over to the pool, waiting for it to cool down.

The merman was again curled up in his favorite corner, watching him like he always did. Asami bent down to the water and his reflection became visible. Not as clear as it would have been in a mirror, it was shaking due tot the little waves. The only thing that was clearly outlined were his golden pupils that stared upon himself from the watery mirror.

Deep in thoughts about that ominous Korean, he reached out to the surface and his fingertips touched the small waves for the first time ever since the merman lived in it. Suddenly he felt an even stronger gaze than usual. Searching through the waves, he saw it. The face of the merman was still hidden behind his tail, only showing his iridescent eyes that shone like pearls even through the amounts of water that separated them. But this time those pale eyes weren't only full of distrust. There was something else as well.

Slowly Asami pulled back his arm, his eyes though didn't break the contact to the mythical creature.  
Without prior warning, faster than a heartbeat, the strong tail hit the water and with a loud splash the upper body of the boy was right in front of him, supporting himself with his faintly slippery hands on the tiled edge. Asami flinched, the creature was so fast that he had his trouble to dodge the water that splattered from the abrupt stop. Not paying attention to his cup of coffee, he still held, the hot fluid ran over his hand and his forearm, heavily burning his skin due to his spontaneous reaction. Asami frowned, gritting his teeth, trying not to scare the merman that finally showed itself.

Immediately a scaled hand grabbed his burnt arm, a wet and unfamiliar feeling came over him, but it wasn't as unpleasant as he expected it to be. He tried hard to hold the curious stare the young merman was confronting him with, it seemed as if the creature had no need to squint his pearl like eyes in the air. The pale face came even closer, studying every inch of his face and Asami felt the surprisingly warm breath on his skin. Unconsciously a small shiver ran down his spine as his burnt wrist was gripped painfully tight.

The grown man was known for his self control and the years taught him not to show any emotions on his face. But these few heartbeats that their faces almost touched each other, he felt a silence, deep and mysterious as the ocean was, yet dangerous and unpredictable as the waves of a storm at the sea could be.

Perplex Asami broke the eye contact and caught a brief glimpse of the body that was right in front of him.

In broad light the beauty of the creature finally became visible. The scales on its tail and on several parts of its torso were beautifully shaped and from a glittering gray. Strong muscles were visible beneath them and the human part of the creature was even more fascinating. The hand that still held him had long and slender fingers with little webs between them, a pale skin, small gills on its neck and a well balanced face with soft looking lips that hid sharp teeth. In contradiction to the color of the scales, it had shiny almost blonde hair and the pearl colored eyes were protected by blonde lashes.

Just looking at the merman was a joy for the eyes.

Still fascinated by the sight of the creature, Asami noticed subliminal the soothing sound of a melodic purring that echoed in his ears, intoxicating his mind, making him unable to think straight. His surroundings became blurred, but to his own surprise, he had no intentions to fight this warm and comforting feeling that approached him. It was as if the pearly iris' began to shine, sucking him in and the time that passed became slower…

The unfamiliar wet feeling on his injured arm slowly dragged him back to reality and startled he saw that the merman, that had already pulled his complete arm under water, were he already was again. Only centimeters separated his face from the surface, greedily awaiting Asami, to take his breath away and drown him.

With a rough movement he freed his forearm from the tight grip of the scaled fingers. With incredulous amazement over his own loss of control, he stumbled a few steps aback, staring at his burnt arm. A thin layer of gray scales formed themselves above the painfully throbbing flesh. Unconsciously he tried to rub them off, just to hurt himself and find them growing back in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, anger mixed into his messed up feelings. Anger over his own imprudence. Kirishima had warned him, not to let his guard down around the siren.  
The merman nervously swam in circles in the pool, not showing his face nor revealing his intention behind this assault.  
Vexed, Asami turned his back upon the creature and without bothering to look behind, he left the bathroom, out of his condo and went to the lift. Hopefully the merman had not poisoned him.

Time will tell, he thought cynical as the doors of the elevator quietly slid open to take him down to the lobby.

-

Darkness spread as the day grew old and the night fell over the lights of Tokyo, painting beautiful images of the skyline against the dark heaven.  
Asami Ryuichi, famous for his elegance and smartness and infamous for his deadly determination, returning to his high class condo, after an exhausting but lucrative day from his office, had his trouble to take off his jacket.

A lonely pearl of cold sweat on his forehead, leaving a salty trace, was the only witness of this ominously amusing sight, as the approximately most dangerous man of Japan struggled to get rid of his clothes.

As funny as one might imagine it, it was not for Asami.

His injured arm, that he burned a few hours ago, was painfully throbbing, his fingertips were numb and he felt small shivers running over his limb.  
The fact that his forearm was covered with potentially poison or at least insanitary scales, did just make things worse.

With an annoyed look in his normally sharp golden eyes he went to the extra bathroom.  
A short shower later, he put on his bathrobe, left the tiled room and went straight to bed. It was 2a.m.. If it wasn't for his health condition, he would still be out, visiting and managing his clubs.

Without any more delays, the man just slid into unconsciousness, as soon as his muscular body was comforted by the sheets of his bed. Weird dreams of apples, scales and coffee haunted him for hours. Just when the morning almost banished the darkness of the night, he was finally able to relax.

An emotionless dream filled his mind.  
Darkness surrounded him. He felt a movement. Like a wave, that softly tickled his feet, as if he was standing by the sea. A salty scent and the feeling of sand in his hands. The gentle breeze that seemed to come from the widths of an ocean he couldn't see. Suddenly it became stronger and in the next heartbeat a gust from a storm shook his secure stand. Unable to move he fell backwards.  
The moment his head was supposed to hit the ground, he opened his eyes. The sunlight blinded him and it took some seconds until he realized where he was.

The sheets were disheveled, but he felt better than last night. Way better. His head was clear and his body felt refreshed.  
Unsteady he sat up on the mattress, a small yawn escaped his mouth and as he lifted up his hand to stroke his black hair back, he saw a fascinating spectacle.

The ominous, gray scales on his skin, that covered his burning injury, slowly fell apart, one by one, revealing a new layer of skin beneath them. The scales fell and while they fell, they turned into small drops of water, evaporating faster than they would normally.

The regeneration of his arm ended just as abruptly as it started. With cautious fingertips he touched the new grown skin. Not a single scar was left to tell what had happened the day before.

As his fingers were still exploring the healing, his mind went to the merman that was gracefully swimming in the pool, welcoming the new day, as the first sunlight danced on the surface of the water and his blonde, almost golden hair, and tickled his pale skin.


	4. Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami's last 3 days were filled with endless thoughts, about what he was supposed to do with the unique creature in his possession.
> 
> Keeping it? Freeing it? Selling it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear people I am so sorry for not writing in such a long time!! I finally found my spirit again. The story is completely written in my head but I lack the time to tipe it down....  
> Still I hope u like the continuation... <3
> 
> (as always: please excuse occuring mistakes, english is not my mother language)

The loud and disturbing ringing of the house telephone shook the silence in the spacious condo. Three days had passed since the weird and wet encounter Asami had with his new roommate.  
With secure steps the tall man left the living room, followed the loud nuisance into the floor, and picked up the call.

“Yes?”

“Boss, I'm so sorry to interrupt you when you're at home”, Suoh answered. “but I have all the information gathered that you wanted me to find about Mr. Lee An Chuong. Also he once again declared his interest in purchasing the merman. He already prepared an offer.”

“Well done. Email all of it to my personal address, asap.”

“Of course, Sir. Will you be returning to the office today?”

Asami took a quick look at his silver Rolex. Almost 9 p.m.

“No, I won't return, I will take care of the case with the fish. I finally want to come to a conclusion. I'll leave the rest to you and Kirishima.”

He hung up, put the phone back into its base and turned around to get his laptop. The computer welcomed him silently and as Asami started to read the information he got from Suoh, his thoughts went through the room, to the merman, that was quietly floating in the pool enjoying the uprising night.

His last 72h were filled with endless thoughts, about what he was supposed to do with the unique creature in his possession.

Keeping it? Freeing it? Selling it?  
None of these options was satisfying him completely.

Keeping it was impossible.  
The pool was way too small for it to live in it forever, also he had no interest in keeping a pet.

Freeing it was out of the question.  
He was a business man. Not an animal activist.

Selling it seemed the most lucrative and reasonable solution.  
For himself and the creature.

“Lee An Chuong...”, Asami mumbled as his sharp golden eyes ran over the information and the offering Suoh just sent him.  
Chuong was well-known in the underworld of Asia, especially South and North Korea. Rarities, antiques, and sometimes weapons were the goods with which he earned his wealth in the shadows. Rumors had it, that he kept the most valuable items for his personal collection. Referring to the confidential data that laid in front of Asami, Chuong was a specialist for unusual artifacts of all kinds. His collection was said to contain mythical things, creatures and even a small amount of the most infamous counterfeits of art of history for his own amusement.

The man sighed as his golden eyes studied the private information. The weak orange lights of the city and the faint sound of the streets disturbed the silence of the night. A single strand of black hair cheeky tickled his cheekbone as the time passed.

-

Two and a half hours had passed, as the computer was shut down and the man rose from the black leather office chair and stepped forward. Hands in his pockets, the black tie loosely done and a determined look in his face. He had been thinking a lot about what had to be done.  
Was it the right decision he just made?

Well, it was already to late to pull back. Just a moment ago he had personally sent an email to the South Korean black market leader, accepting the offering of purchasing the merman.  
It was a profitable transaction. Even better than he had expected it to be. He had to thank Kirishima, that he stopped him from leaving the creature behind to die, back then.

Deep in thought he flinched as he noticed the first raindrops clattering against the panorama window in front of him. The lights of the city seemed to darken and the faint stars that normally could be seen, were completely hidden by black and heavy looking clouds. A storm seemed to form itself.

Awaiting the weather he stood there, unmoved. As the sound of thunder mixed into the pouring of the rain, a strange splashing sound disturbed this wonderful show. Asami turned around. With a tense expression on his beautiful face, he hurried through the condo and the wet noises became louder as he got closer to the bathroom with the pool.

Suddenly he stopped right in front of the closed door and frowned. A small trickle of water ran over the floor and formed a puddle, as it reached his toes. His socks were drenched, as he slowly opened the door to the bathroom. Unconsciously his right hand went to his side, ready to load and unlock his gun, always prepared to fight.

Slowly the door swung open and revealed a disturbing sight.  
Pieces of apples and broken piles were scattered all over the ground, together with puddles of water and wet towels. In the dim light that shone from the floor into the dark bathroom, only squirming shadows could be seen. Gray scales brightly reflected the cold thunderbolts that shed short flashes of light into the sky and a whimpering sound was mixed into the thunder.

The air was filled with anxiety. Almost tangible were the feelings of insecurity and helplessness, that arose with every thunder and flashing outside, in the body of the pained merman, that was pitiful wincing on the ground, outside of his protective water basin.

Asami was frozen by the scene. His beautiful golden eyes widened, unable to move an inch, fascinated and shocked at the same time. Flashback scenes from his very first meeting with the creature appeared in front of his inner eye.

The thunder shook the air and the faint crying of the merman woke Asami from his paralysis. He flinched, cursing his short moment of weakness. He hastily put his gun back into its holster, running over to the merman and knelt down in front of it. Nervously he hesitated, uncertain where and how to touch the scaled body, so he wouldn't hurt it. Another shriek escaped the small mouth and without any more unnecessary thoughts, the black haired man put his strong arms around it and pulled the slippery and wet torso of the creature up to his broad chest. The merman whimpered and its tail wildly whipped around, like a snake that was caught by its head, desperately trying to escape the tight trap.

Asami felt the delicate face of the creature pressing against his chest, soaking his shirt, muffling the cries and whimpers.  
Gritting his teeth, he endured the claws that sank into his flesh, dodging the muscular tail, as the lightning continued and the thunder growled. Shapeless emotions arose in Asamis mind as the hours passed and the night fell upon their intertwined unequal bodies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the abrupt ending. next chapter will be important (°A°)//


	5. Names and Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your support on the last chapter. You gave me so much motivation, I secretly wrote on the FF at work (please don't tell my boss!! XD ) because I wanted to share the story with you <3

Hours had passed.

Asami's body was aching. The faint sound of thunder far away was still audible. The lightning had died down, only the heavy rain didn't stop.  
The creature in his tired arms finally started to quiet down, only slight shivers ran down its spine. Carefully the tall man loosened his tight grip and petted the head of the merman, which laid peacefully upon this chest, its eyes closed, sleeping.

Asami sighed.

Slowly he reached out to get one of the wet towels that was laying beside him and started to wipe the dried scales.  
The soft movement stopped, as he suddenly noticed the deep scars on its back. Pale scar tissue also covered small part of its tail. Scales were missing, obviously they were forcefully removed. His fingertips followed the wounds and he frowned.

"No wonder, that it wouldn't let me touch it in the beginning...", he thought with a sad look in his golden eyes. What had happened to it before?

Another sighing escaped him as he bent forward, only millimeters separated his lips from touching the merman's bright hair.

"I will bring you to a better place.", he mumbled. "At least I hope so."

A faint kiss upon the hair whorl was given to the creature, and a relaxing purring answered Asami, that sung him to sleep. Dreams of gray waves, the sound of thunder and helpless emotions surrounded him as he sunk into darkness.

-

A happy splashing welcomed him home, as Asami entered his condo. Though his work load piled up, as the day of parting from his merman came closer, he never missed his coffee times beside the pool. Nowadays a cheeky pair of pearly eyes followed his every movement and when he reached out to touch the head of the merman, a purring answered him and the well balanced face of the creature snuggled into his palm, as if he was petting a baby kitten.

Three days had passed since the storm and the night they spent together. Tomorrow morning the departure to South Korea would take place, he personally would accompany the merman, making sure everything would go right.  
Asami stood beside the pool, lost in thoughts about tomorrow, whether he made the right choice, with giving the creature away. He stared out of the window into the sky, as the sun was setting and the skyline of Tokyo was painted with beautiful colors.

Wet fingers grabbed his shirt and the merman pulled himself up, until his face was right beside Asami's elbow.  
Big pearl like eyes focused the sunset. After a few heartbeats Asami raised his big hand, stroking the merman's nape.

"I guess", he began. "I never really gave you a name. Not that it mattered, you can't understand me anyway."

Purring answered him.

"Take it as a farewell gift, Akihito."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> somehow this chapter got rather short... but don't worry! I will start with the next one asap!! (seriously, the shit's gonna get real...)


	6. Siren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The glass broke into thousand smithereens, washed away by the amount of water that was set free. Searing pain flowed through Asami's body, he stumbled backwards and felt a small trickle of blood running over his face from his temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys I warned you. I cried over my own words...  
> be prepared!  
> ..  
> .....  
> I love aki and asami...  
> Oh god I hate myself...

The large turbines of Asami's private jet were deafeningly loud.  
A cold wind was blowing and the sky was overcast with unfriendly gray clouds, as the doors opened and the men left the plane.  
Twelve of Asami's best men were accompanying him, including Kirishima and Suoh, as he went to greet his new Korean business partner, who already awaited him at his private airport.

With sharp eyes the Japanese underworld ruler straightened his posture and with secure steps he went the few meters to finally meet Lee An Chuong.  
In the background his men carefully discharged their unique cargo. Asami hadn't been able to look at Akihito in his portable basin, ever since their takeoff in Tokyo. The mermans frightened look hurt him more than he had expected it to. Even more than he wanted to admit.

The old man was exactly what Asami imagined. Lee An Chuong was small but corpulent, the traditional Korean clothes were strained over his torso and a small beard made his face look even rounder than it already was. Yet his body language was friendly. Unusual for an antique dealer.

“Asami-sama!”, Lee welcomed him. “It's such a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I hope you had a pleasant journey?”

“Lee-sama.”, Asami responded. “Thank you for coming here today. The journey was short and without any problems.”

“Glad to hear. Now let me see the little mermaid that you got for me!”

Asami raised an eyebrow as the small man in his mid 60s passed by and strutted to the basin.  
A condemned look from Asami followed him and his men. Approximately 20 bodyguards were with Lee. Asami became wary. His gun was hanging heavy in its holster, though none of the Korean was behaving strangely. Until now.

Still, something was awkward, he knew it subconsciously.  
Asami flinched and his golden eyes widenend, as he got sight of the water basin, that was standing right beneath his jet.

Akihito!

The merman was wildly rampaging in his basin. He bared his sharp teeth, anger and hatred in his usually curious eyes, scratching and bumping against the thick glass with all his might. The Korean black market dealer stood in front of it and watched the futile murder attempts of the merman amused, his back towards Asami.

The clicking sound of guns around him echoed in Asami's ears.

"Long time no see. Welcome home my little siren." 

-

It was a surreal situation.  
Guns pointed from both parties on each other. The small, fat man in front of the merman, watching its desperate behavior.

The wind blew into Asami's face and he clearly heard his own heartbeat in his chest. From afar a low thundering sound was audible. The cloudy sky darkened.

"What are you up to, Lee?", Asami broke the silence, growling through his gritted teeth. "We had a deal!"

His sharp golden eyes fixated the Korean over the rear sight of his gun, Kirishima and Suoh covering his sides, both men with stern faces.

"Asami", Lee began, ignoring all honorifics as well. "I won't pay for something that's already mine."

Slowly he raised his hand, gently touching the glass basin in which Akihito still went berserk. Then he turned around and a cold smile had appeared at his vainly face.

"Explain yourself!", Asami demanded, his black three pieced suit was swaying in the uprising storm.

"This little beauty here", Lee began, "was stolen 3 weeks ago. Those idiots tried to sell him at J&B's. You finding him, only a few hours before my men arrived, was pure coincidence. Stealing it back from you would have been way too much effort. Instead I made you an offer, that you couldn't refuse. And here you are. Delivering the cute cash cow for free."

Lee's face lost his smile. He eyed Asami from head to toe.

“You are a smart and cunning man, Ryuichi Asami.”, he stated. “It's almost embarrassing for you to be fooled that easily.”

Asami tried his best to hide his fuming rage behind his pokerface.  
“I hate to admit it, but you covered your tracks perfectly. I wasn't able to find the information, which would have exposed you as the original owner of the siren.”

Slowly he stepped forward. His gun still directly pointing at Lee. The tension and danger that laid within the air, was almost taking his breath away. His heartbeat was at its limit, his face was starting to show his real emotions.

“Thanks for the compliment!”, Lee laughed.  
“Let's get over with this charade. I have to make some money out of this.”, disparagingly he glanced over his shoulder at Akihito, who had quieted down a bit. “A single scale of its tale can get one enough to buy a new car. Fortunately it has enough to rip off.”

A loud and sudden thunder finally broke Asami's patience.

Gunshots ripped the air, blast waves were palpable as men on both sides collapsed to the ground. Blood splattered. Asami dodged a bullet, all his hatred and tension guided the gun barrel in his hand directly at Lee, who panic-stricken tired to save his worthless life behind Akihito's basin. The bullet which was meant for Lee was instead caught by his bodyguard, sheltering his boss from certain death.

Another stray korean bullet hit the water basin, luckily missing Akihito. The glass broke into thousand smithereens, washed away by the amount of water that was set free.

Suddenly, searing pain flowed through Asami's body, he stumbled backwards and felt a small trickle of blood running over his face from his temple, where the bullet grazed him. Lee himself held the fuming gun, that was directed towards him. Without hesitation the Korean gangster cocked his gun again, ready to end Asami's life within the next second.

The resolute, grim look on his face suddenly turned into a pained surprise. Death came over him, unforeseen and unforgiving. Pale arms hugged him from behind, sharp fangs ripped his throat wide open, claws gouged his eyes out. Like a water snake devouring its unfortunate prey, Lee was condemned to death.

Asami froze in shock. A gargling sound escaped the dying Lee as he slumped down beneath the weight of the siren's scaled body upon him. Fresh blood covered the ground as the raging creature again and again sank its teeth into the dead flesh.  
A few heartbeats, that felt like small eternities, passed as the merman finally released the body, disfigured beyond recognition.

Thunder and lightning arose over the battlefield, but this time Akihito relished the galvanizing atmosphere without moving a muscle.  
All around Asami, corpses and wheezing, dying bodies of his enemies covered the ground. And right in the middle of all the havoc, was the hard panting body of the siren.

Kirishima and Suoh were the only survivors beside Asami himself. Suoh was bleeding, a bullet hit his arm. Carefully Kirishima carried him to the plane to take care of Suoh's wounds.  
Asami stood alone in front of the siren, unable to move. Akihito lifted his head, staring directly at the black haired man, as the first heavy raindrops fell upon them.

Slowly the muscular body of the merman crawled towards him, scraping over the coarse ground. The tall man knelt down, only a few centimeters separated the outstretched scaled arm, covered in blood, from Asami's strong hand. There was no hatred or anger in Akihito's beautiful iridescently shining eyes left. Only melancholy and sincere affection, as gold and pearls finally met...

All of a sudden, a bloodcurdling shot merciless destroyed the recaptured peace. Akihito flinched and a smoking gun clattering felt to the ground. Hateful, bloodshot eyes of a dying Korean assassin stared at the merman.

“You… monstrosity...”, were his last words before his despicable life left his wrecked body.

Asami's breath froze, he didn't feel the cold rain that was drenching his clothes. His golden eyes widened in disbelief as Akihito's delicate face shivering turned towards his waist, where mother-of-pearl colored blood dropped to the ground and formed a small puddle.

The siren lifted his head. Pain distorted its beautiful face and a lonely tear ran over its cheek. While falling to the ground, the salty tear turned into a small pearl, that twinkled in all colors of the rainbow, as the thunderbolts above them shed their lonely light upon them. Asami saw how the bright shining disappeared in Akihito's once curious and charming eyes, as they became dull and gray...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to be continued


	7. The little Merman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm sorry, Akihito. Don't worry, I wont leave you behind. Not this time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait.  
> it took me some time to write it  
> hope you enjoy in nevertheless <3
> 
> (sry for occuring mistakes, english is not my mother language)

Thunder was echoing in Asami's ears, but he couldn't hear it. His soaking wet clothes hung heavy on his shoulders, but he didn't feel it.  
All he saw were the dull gray eyes that were looking at him, desperately trying to fight unconsciousness.

It was, as if he was trapped within this moment. Akihito's slender body fell into his reached out arms. Asami felt the soft hair, that had darkened to brown-blonde, the still warm skin. Shock was taking his breath away.

"Akihito. Hey, Akihito!"

His almost whispered words were shaking, filled with disbelief. Strands of his black hair were sticking to his face as the storm raged above them and Asami's sharp golden eyes stared into the dying sirens gray iris.

"Akihito! Come on! Look at me, Akihito...!"

Asami's shouting shook the body of the siren, his strong arms holding it, pressing it against his chest. His attempts to stop the bleeding were futile, blue blood that shone like mother-of-pearl covered his fingers. Gritting his teeth, he looked up, his eyes searched for Kirishima, who was taking care of Suoh's wound inside the jet.

"Kirishima! Kirishima, I need your help!"

Thunder drowned his voice, he was unable to reach Kirishima and Suoh. Shivers that ran down the sirens body as the cold rain mercilessly fell upon it, turned Asami's attention towards the dying creature in his arms once again. He frowned.  
The rain constantly washed away the iridescent blood and the tiny pearl that laid on the ground in front of them twinkled again, as lightning shook the sorrowful scenery.  
Akihito's breath slowed down, his now gray eyes stared into Asami's. The magic within them was gone.

Carefully Asami brushed off the remains of Lee's red blood that still stuck to Akihito's chin. He bent down, grief in his face, as their foreheads slightly touched.

"I'm sorry, Akihito. Don't worry, I wont leave you behind. Not this time."

The merman's faced rested in Asami's hands. The black haired man's slender fingers gently closed Akihito's expressionless eyes, the flat rhythmic breath had stopped.  
A faint kiss, gentle like the stroke of butterflies wings, was given to the pale lips of the siren. But they wouldn't respond. Asami's blood ran over his cheek, where Lee's bullet grazed him.

Lonely heartbeats filled the scenery, seconds felt like eternities. As abrupt as the storm had begun, it suddenly died down. The wind lost its energy, the lightning lost its light, the thunder lost its strength and the last raindrops fell upon them. Only the dark clouds over their intertwined bodies didn't vanish.  
For the first time, a single tear showed itself on Asami's sharp face. Mixing itself with his blood on his cheekbone and like a proof of his feelings, it fell upon the siren's slightly opened lips, remaining there as a memory of time.

A small ray of light tickled the grown man's clenched eyes and as he opened them he saw the twinkling little pearl in front of him that shone in all colors of the rainbow. Suddenly with a small chime it burst into millions of shards, faint as dust. Asami watched the small but mesmerizing spectacle, that felt like it came from another world, he didn't know.

A familiar feeling pulled him back to his world, as he knelt on the ground, the unmoving body of the siren upon his lap. The cloudy heaven darkened, as if the early night wanted to chase away the day. A small breeze whirled the pearly dust up into his face. Asami squinted his eyes to protect his sight.

His left hand was still resting upon the scaled waist of the siren in futile attempts to stop the mother of pearl colored blood from leaving the still warm body. A strange feeling beneath his fingertips suddenly started to spread. He looked down his arm. Lonely silver shining scales fell apart from the muscular tail. They turned into small water drops and right before they hit the ground, they evaporated without leaving a single trace. Flashing memories appeared before Asami's inner eyes, he had seen this before. Cold fingers clasped his heart. One by one, the scales turned into salty seawater, slowly as if they were waiting for Asami to fully realize what was about to happen. The water of the scales washed away the pearly blood on Akihito's slim figure, leaving behind a fair scar, where the Korean bullet hit his body. Pale skin became visible where the fish-like texture vanished.

Asami was frozen by the spectacle, unconscious he held his breath. His mind wasn't able to catch up with what his eyes captured. Long, slender legs laid on the ground, the gills on Akihito's neck had vanished as well as the little webs between his fingers. Through the slightly opened lips Asami saw Akihito's sharp fangs growing to the shape of a humans.

For a few heartbeats Asami wasn't able to do anything else but staring at the obviously but unmoving human body in his arms. What was happening?

Far away in his memories he could silently hear Kirishima's words… >>If a merman or a mermaid comes to meet its destined partner it is able to change its gender… Imagine it like a second birth…<<

“Second birth… Destined partner?”  
The whispered words that left Asami's mouth surprised him. His voice was hoarse, filled with emotions he wasn't used to. Deep in thought, Asami flinched as suddenly without warning a deep gasp shook the delicate body in his arms. The pale chest of the young man before his eyes was shivering as Akihito hastily took deep breaths, like a child saved from drowning. Asami stared into the gray eyes that flickered open and were desperately and wildly searching for his golden to meet, until they found him. The quivering slowed down, Akihito's breathing became steady and even though the opaque pearly shining of magic had vanished, Asami was fascinated by those big eyes that looked into his own, as if they saw the depths and cliffs in his soul, no one before had seen.

There was no fear, no anxiety, no hatred or distrust in those pure iris'. As suddenly the cloud cover above them tore open and a single beam of sunlight crossed the young man's eyes. And for one second, Asami was able to see the melancholy and the sincere affection that Akihito had shown him in his past life, only minutes ago.

Their surrounding area became blurred, voices and noises became dumb and the wet clothes that heavily hung over Asami's shoulders became light. Slowly, a shy smile appeared on his usually stern, beautiful face. All of Asami's emotions laid within it. Soft foreign yet well known fingers touched his lips, caressing them with gentleness. Firmly defined arms flung slowly around his neck and as the sun finally completely overcame the clouds, Asami and Akihito held each other tightly, giving in to a sensitive kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just so u know: i intended to make a sad ending like the original story of the little mermaid. but then my fangirl heart cried so i had to change it!  
> the next chapter will be the last. i am thankful that you stayed faithful to this ff until the end!!! <3


	8. Past, Present, Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FLUFF  
> <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the nice people who accompanied me while writing this ff: THANK YOU! <3  
> your loving and caring comments encouraged me to stay motivated and finish this story  
> You are the best! <3  
> I sincerly hope you enjoyed reading this fanfiction. I at least enjoyed writing it.  
> I would be grateful if you leave me a feedback at the end, from fangirl to fangirl <3

Scratching sounds filled the spacious office. The light of the city shone through the large windows, bathing everything in orange light and the busy noises of the city beneath the expensive condo were only slightly audible. A black suit jacket hung over the back of the visitors seat together with a dark red tie. The tall man with the elegant black hair sat on his leather chair and filled the documents in front of him with his neat handwriting. With his slim silver pencil he placed his curved signature upon the bottom of the paper. Blonde strands brushed his wrist as he did so. Attentive gray eyes followed every single letter he wrote, squinting when he put the pencil down as he finished writing his name. The big, curious eyes continued to stare at the letters as if the boy wanted to bring the words to life just by torturing them with his gaze.  
The mans big hand touched the head of the boy and ruffled his rebellious, dark blonde hair, though that didn't distract him from his staring.

"Akihito, what are you doing here? I told you to wait in the living room." Asami sighed, his hand stroking the back of the boys head nontheless.

The young man knelt beside his chair, peeking over the edge of the table and didn't break his stare. He wore one of Asamis black shirts, which was way too big for him. Beneath the half buttoned cloth, naked legs were visible. Barefoot and probably without underwear the young man silently waited beside him. The tall man bit back a grin, as he caught a glimpse of Akihitos firm butt beneath the black fabric. All talking had helped nothing, the boy stubbornly refused to wear any kind of pants. It had taken Asami days to convince him to at least wear one of his shirts. Though every time he saw Akihitos naked flesh, a shiver ran down his spine. The legs and the back of the boy were covered with the exact same scars, his fishtail had had.  
An angry frown flinched over his face, remembering it. He shook it off, before the boy would be able to see his sadness and forced himself to smile gently at him.

“I promised you I'd come and get you as soon as I'm finished with the paperwork, didn't I?” He explained, his golden eyes fixated on the boy beside him.

Two weeks had passed since the incident in Korea, and slowly but steadily Akihito got used to his life as a human. He was a very fast learner, even Kirishima and Suoh were impressed. Standing on his newly gained legs was still very difficult for him, Asami was always on edge, whenever his boy tried to walk towards him, as he had to catch him after a few steps before he fell, to avoid injuries and broken furniture. In contrary to that, Akihitos speaking abilities had improved impressively, though reading was a lot more difficult for him than talking, by now he was almost able to form complete sentences. 

"Bored.", came the pouting answer. "Take too long."  
Akihitos soft voice echoed in Asamis ears.

“You know, if I didn't know that you were a siren once, I would have guessed you to be the reincarnation of a cheeky little kitten.”

Akihito gave him a confused look. Huffing because he didn't quite understand all of the words the black haired man had used, a sulking expression appeared on his delicate face.

Asami took a deep breath, pushed back from his desk after he put his documents aside, bent down and grabbed the boy by his waist to place him upon his lap. Now, Akihito smiled happily, and snuggled into Asamis embrace, inhaling the expensive cologne mixed with Asamis' soothing scent. Asami put his muscular arms around the slender figure and rested his chin on the head of the boy. Absentmindedly he started to caress his neck and was rewarded with a reassuring purring. 

Minutes passed, he felt the warmth of the body in his arms and the steady pounding heart against his chest. Without him really noticing, his eyes fell shut and his thoughts drowned in water. The salty scent of the sea filled his mind and the already familiar feeling of sand and waves welcomed him in the darkness. Again, just like the first time Akihito had touched him, he was unable to move an inch in his dream, as the storm from an ocean he couldn't see shook his stand. He fell backwards and the moment his head was supposed to hit the ground, he was suddenly caught by strong arms. He lifted his gaze to see Akihito in front of his face, as they reached the surface of an ocean of silence. The reflections of billions of stars above them were visible in Akihitos grey eyes as the sky welcomed them with a moonless night. Lost in the depths of the irises of his beloved, Asami felt Akihitos heart flutter in his grasp like a little bird, desperately trying to break free. Cold fingertips reached for his cheeks, but the feeling that spread from the points where they touched him, were warm and comforting. Soft, foreign yet known lips breathed a kiss upon his own, cold yet hot. Asami gave in to the sensation as he leaned into the kiss and when he closed his eyes, he felt Akihitos blonde strands of hair tickle his nose.

Slowly he opened his eyes and blinked into the darkness of the night. As he looked up he realized Akihitos blonde hair had woken him. The boys head was still resting on his chest, his breath going steadily and his face was still buried in Asamis shirt. The lights weren't on, only the faint glowing of the streets illuminated the room and threw heavy shadows all over the scenery. He slightly shifted in his leather chair to take a look at the watch on his wrist. 1 a.m.

The black haired man sighed. After hours of sitting in a chair his toes felt numb. He watched Akihitos sleeping face. Pale skin, clear-cut features, faint freckles upon his small nose and blonde lashes that protected his curious gray eyes. Tangled strands of hair revealed an alluring sight at his slim neck. Slender fingers held onto his shirt as if his life depended upon it.  
A slightly sheepish smile appeared on the grown mans face. His own black hair had become messy from his weird sleeping positions and he realized, that his neck had become stiff. With aching muscles he carefully stood up, cautious not to wake Akihito. A low-voiced groan escaped the boys throat as he was lifted up and was carried into the bedroom, princess style.

The rustling sheets didn't manage to wake Akihito, who was apparently dead asleep. Unwillingly he let got of Asamis already wrinkled shirt as the man rose from the mattress to sit at the edge of the bed. He smiled and stroked the strands of hair off of his sleeping face and then silently went to the bathroom next door. Trying to keep the noises to a minimum, he undressed and went for a quick shower. The hot water ran down his well-toned body, bringing back the memories of the wonderful dream he just had. Absentmindedly his fingertips touched his lips as his thoughts went back, way back to how everything had begun… 

Blood, shards of glass, anxiety … and his own ignorance.

Angry over his past self, he frowned and grit his teeth until it hurt.  
Never would he be able to forget what kind of mistake he almost made, never would he have believed that the person he would be sharing his home, his life, his heart with, would be the creature he intended to leave behind to die. Now everything had changed, his mind was filled with a salty scent, the rushing of the wind through the city had become the rushing of the sea and the ocean had become so much deeper.

After half an hour of reminiscing, his senses had returned to his toes and slowly he switched off the water flow. A few seconds passed, while he was toweling himself dry, as he suddenly heard weird noises from the bedroom. He got pulled back to the present.

“Akihito!”  
His hoarse voice sounded foreign to his own ears as he hastily left the bathroom, only dressed in his bathrobe, to find a nervously squirming Akihito caught up in the bedsheets that were tightly wrapped around his legs as he tried to get away from them. Asami stood in the doorway and immediately Akihitos gaze turned towards him, a lonely tear running over his cheek as his eyes searched for contact with Asamis'.

“A- Asami!” He whimpered, his hand desperately reaching out to get a hold of the man in front of him. “Not go! Not leave…!”

The black haired man instantly grabbed the slender fingers and freed the boy from his unfortunate situation. Instantly he crawled under the sheets towards him and wrapped his strong arms around the sobbing body, pulling him into a calming embrace beneath the heavy bedsheets.  
Between the sniffing and silent cries he heard Akihitos high-pitched voice. Fear, sorrow and angst clearly audible.

“I… had nightmare. Y-you gone and … I be back to the m-mean man I was… H-he say you leave me to d-die...”

Akihitos last words were choked by his crying and he buried his face in Asamis strong neckline. Shivers ran down his spine and Asami tightened his embrace until his beloved boy had calmed down a bit. Surrounding him with his warmth and the reassuring darkness of the night, Akihitos heart rate finally slowed down. Just as he was about to fall asleep again, whispered words carefully broke through the silence and a weak but loving smile appeared on Akihitos tear-stained face as he felt Asami Ryuichis lips on his forehead.

“Don't worry, Akihito. I promise, I will never leave you for as long as I live.”


End file.
